COVINGTON -- The Newton County School System has purchased land where it will build a replacement for Newton High School.

Dr. Dennis Carpenter, deputy superintendent for Operations at NCSS, announced Tuesday during the Newton County Board of Education's monthly meeting that the system closed on Dec. 21 on nearly 118 acres of land on Crowell Road North, between Brown Bridge Road and Interstate 20.

He said this site will serve as a replacement for Newton High School. Last year, the school board approved a resolution for the Georgia Department of Education to phase out the school, along with Ficquett and Palmer Stone elementary schools, from state funding.

NCSS may decide to retain the school buildings for continued use, as it currently does the Sharp Learning Center site, but state funds could not be used for any repairs.

In its facilities plan, also approved last year, the expectation is to replace the current NHS facility with a new building. Later, perhaps in 2017, it plans to build a replacement building for Eastside High School and move in a lower-grades theme school to the current EHS facility.

NCSS purchased the Crowell Road land for $2,276,600, or $19,331 per acre, with capital project funds. These funds only may be used for the purposes of building a new facility and not for materials or operation of any schools, as required by state law, Carpenter said.

He said NCSS plans to bid a contract for building of the new school in the spring. The school would be scheduled to open in time for the start of the 2013-14 school year.